Inside the ruined church.
Raiden Mei found a place to sit, like a devout believer coming to pray, and hardly cared if the seat was covered in dust.
"Sister…" Aponia handed her a glass of water.
It was only cold and plain, of course.
This old-age shelter was in no condition to offer anything more luxurious.
In truth, Raiden Mei was a little thirsty.
She took the glass and sipped lightly.
It was just a simple glass of water.
But even if it had been clear spring water, the current Raiden Mei wouldn't have tasted anything at all.
It seemed she had lost her sense of taste.
At that moment, several small heads peeked in through the doorway of the ruined church.
Clearly, all the children were incredibly curious about her, the uninvited guest.
Especially the clothes she wore — her style was quite unusual to the locals.
Different always draws attention.
"Laila, Angel, take the children somewhere else to play. Don't disturb our guest."
Suddenly, Aponia spoke.
"Oh~"
The children's faces showed expressions of mild disappointment.
But all of them were obedient. "Okay, Mother Aponia."
After replying, they all ran off.
At that moment, Raiden Mei turned her head to look at the backs of the departing children, feeling mixed emotions in her heart.
As mentioned before, two days ago…
At that time, Ling Ke used a power beyond the standard to reverse time, erased the existence of his timeline, and returned everything to more than 50,000 years ago — to the era before the current civilization… to now.
During that process, everyone who was forcibly given a "one-way ticket against time," including herself, saw that "nonexistent memory."
So, she instantly understood what Ling Ke truly meant... or rather: understood how he was taking revenge against his enemies before their very eyes.
"If you want to save your era — the modern civilization that has become 'nothing'…"
"Then first destroy the pre-civilization era that has been given a 'second chance.'"
"After all, if the pre-civilization era still exists, where would your chance lie?"
Raiden Mei understood — he was clearly cutting to the heart.
He denied everything she once pursued, held on to, and yearned for.
He called her and everyone else's beliefs "hypocrisy" and cast them aside.
In doing so, the once polar concepts of "saving the world" and "destroying the world" were cleverly fused into a single, inseparable idea.
It must be said — this approach was truly terrifying.
He used to be such a kind person.
But after falling into darkness… he showed everyone, and the world, that he could become the most terrifying demon king.
Ling Ke had precisely grasped all the weaknesses of their group.
Now, though he was no longer present, every detail and change in the environment seemed to silently ask: "Can a hypocrite like you still resolve to save the world (or destroy it)?"
Can she?
Raiden Mei looked at the children — children who still had hope of living again, or living longer — and couldn't answer.
Presumably, no one else who had descended into this era… except perhaps Otto, could give a precise answer to that question right now.
Today, Raiden Mei was troubled by it.
So—
"Aponia… ma'am."
"Just call me Aponia."
At first, Raiden Mei was concerned that they weren't acquainted at this point in time, so after a pause, she added an honorific.
However, the other party took the initiative to close the distance.
Hearing that—
"All right, Aponia."
Raiden Mei wasn't someone who got too hung up on such things.
For the moment, she thought a bit and didn't take the initiative to introduce herself as she had done before with Padophelis.
Instead, she posed a question:
"Excuse me, could you tell me where I come from?"
Apparently, at this moment, Raiden Mei was testing her.
And in response—
"The one who has lost her 'hometown' is, at least for now, wandering the world alone."
Aponia answered.
Her tone was calm and emotionless.
But Raiden Mei felt that the other woman seemed to mean something more.
That she didn't mind.
And one thing was confirmed—
"Indeed, even now, you still have the power to foresee the future."
Raiden Mei seemed a little excited.
In the past two days, she had rarely heard good news.
Or rather — seen a ray of hope.
She quickly pressed on: "Then, Aponia...
"Please tell me — how can I find the 'lost hometown'?"
When she asked this question, Aponia did not respond immediately.
After a long silence, an increasingly anxious Raiden Mei waited impatiently.
Then Aponia finally spoke, slowly:
"The path you already know — is the only path."
"But…"
Raiden Mei couldn't sit still.
She remembered that in that "nonexistent memory," Ling Ke… even without obtaining the Herrscher's power, had created by himself a "district" that could accommodate the entire pre-civilization era.
He had proven through practical action that two eras could coexist.
Even if one side had been destroyed, it could still be saved from "nothingness."
He—
"Yes."
Raiden Mei laughed bitterly. "There's no way he'd help just me."
As she spoke this undeniable truth aloud, she slumped her shoulders in frustration, her eyes full of regret.
There was no helping it — everything in that "nonexistent memory" had been too beautiful.
Ling Ke always made things simple and fulfilled everyone's deepest wishes.
Effortlessly.
You could say his ability was to trample the truth of the world at will.
He could have been her "savior" — and everyone else's.
Yet now, thinking about all that is meaningless.
You can remove a nail from a board.
But the marks it leaves behind are not easily erased.
At this moment—
"Lost traveler."
Aponia spoke slowly again, as if to emphasize:
"The answer you seek does not lie with me."
"This is the only guidance our Lord (God) can give you."
"Either stop here."
"Or take the other path."
"You have — and only have — these two choices."
Raiden Mei left.
Aponia did not keep her in the old-age home.
And clearly, Mei herself had no time to linger here.
She seemed to have decided to go seek the next "possibility."
And until the moment she left alone, Raiden Mei never looked back.
"So weird!"
Beside the church, Padophelis, who had been crouching in a corner, wore a confused expression.
She had witnessed the entire exchange between Raiden Mei and Aponia.
And yet, she kept feeling—
"Sister Nia today… why is she saying all that weird stuff?"
"She wasn't like that before… How should I put it?"
"Oh, right — she sounds like a Riddler!"
It wasn't like Padophelis had never eavesdropped before when Aponia helped others clear their minds.
Although, on several occasions, her stealthy attempts — despite being her specialty — had been caught red-handed by Aponia.
Cough~
In any case, Aponia usually cleared people's doubts in very clear, straightforward ways.
She preferred "teaching people to fish" over speaking in riddles.
Based solely on Padophelis's existing memories, Aponia at this stage had yet to catch the "Riddler syndrome" so common among later generations of the Flame-Chasers.
But today…
Something felt off.
Though she couldn't quite say what exactly.
"Thief" was frustrated.
Suddenly—
"Hee~"
From within the ruined church, a strange chuckle erupted.
Padophelis was clearly not the cat-eared lady from the future—
But her hair still stood on end in fright.
She didn't dare peek inside the church again.
But curiosity…
Her body moved involuntarily.
Padot slowly reached up with both hands and peeled back the window, poking her head through carefully—
"Woah~"
What entered her view were swarms of brocade flying fish swimming through the air.
And at the center of the fish-filled space, although "Aponia" still maintained a praying posture, the corners of her mouth… were twisted into a broken smile.
"!!!"
Padot yanked her head back in shock.
"She…
"She's not Sister Nia!"
Then — who the hell is she?
And—
Where's the real Sister Nia?
"Oops~ Don't you know curiosity kills the cat?"
"Little——Pa——dot!"
"!!!"
Padot jolted again.
One scare after another — her tiny heart was fluttering so wildly she could hardly stand it.
Just then, sunlight cast the shadow of a man approaching her.
Instinctively, she curled up her petite body.
In her field of vision appeared a dark-haired young man who had, at some point, appeared.
He held a bunch of bags, big and small, in his arms, and the rich aroma of food had long since spread.
He smiled as he approached slowly.
Step~
Step~
Step~
And finally, stopped.
Casually crouched in front of Padophelis.
He raised his right hand—
"Shhh!"
He made a silencing gesture.
Instinctively, Padot quickly covered her mouth.
Trying to show she was harmless.
Seeing her cooperate—
"Good girl!"
The young man smiled gently.
And even fondly reached out to pat Padot's head—
Like giving a little reward to a pet.
However.
In biology, there is a very special term.
Westerners call it: Apex predator.
Literally: top predator.
They have no natural enemies.
They sit "at the very top of the food chain."
And "at that moment, as the dark-haired young man stroked Padot's head,"
"She felt it with every fiber of her being—"
That she was like prey, crushed effortlessly beneath the claw of a massive beast.
So much so that, even though she was trembling in fear, she didn't dare move even slightly.
Afraid that she might startle — or worse, anger — this man.
All she could do was bite her lip, clench her teeth, lower her head, and shrink her pupils.
Her eyes were full of terror.